Want Happy Feets? Aromatheray blend to energize your step!

As we move into warmer days, awaken your senses with clean, refreshing scents.  Citrus aromas are naturally cleansing and energizing- think lemon, grapefruit, orange.  Peppermint, lime, ginger, eucalyptus and rosemary scents, to name a few, are all used to uplift the spirit and recharge the mind and body.  While reading Barbara Close's The Spa Deck, I ran into this great foot soother recipe which is just what my winter-tired feet are barking for.

Before I give you the recipe, make sure to look for pure therapeutic grade essential oils.  Don't use synthetic fragrances, only pure essential oils retain the healing properties of the plants from which they are derived.  I have a link to my favorite essential oil brand in my webpage

Rosemary Citron Sea Salt Foot Smoother

Want happy feet?  Try this after wearing uncomfortable shoes or standing for long periods.  It works its magic in part by helping to break up lactic acid deposits that causes feet to ache.

• 1/2 cup of sea salt, coarsely ground

• 2 oz of carrier oil (such as almond oil)

• 8 drops of grapefruit essential oil

• 5 drops of lemon essential oil

• 20 drops of rosemary essential oil

• 1 spring rosemary leaves, chopped finely

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl; set aside.  Soak feet in warm water for 10 minutes to soften the skin.  Rub mixture onto feet, concentrating on the rough patches.  Wrap feet in plastic and swaddle in a towel.  Leave on for 15 minutes.  Rinse with warm water.

Looking for Recipes That Use Food You Already Have?

After all the holiday cooking, I usually end up with a variety of left  over ingredients that don't necessarily go together in my staple of recipes.  When it's time to use these rainbow of ingredients I typically mix them all together to create what my dear friend Joanna calls "Army Food."  However if you are looking for new recipes to use either left over ingredients or your old staples ones, I found a new app called Su Chef.

The app works by creating filters for recipes based on various ingredients; you can put in navy beans as your main ingredient, for example. Su Chef has other filters like type of cuisine, cook-time, which meal, dietary preferences, etc. LifeHacker says it’s like an “advanced search” for recipes.

I imagine Su Chef won't find recipes for all your needs, but what it will likely do is give new ways to creatively configure your staple ingredients, or show you how to make an all new standard dishes with the addition of an ingredient or two. And Su Chef will surely provide some clever uses for your Holiday leftovers. Get Su Chef for $2 on iTunes. 

via Lifehacker

You say Tomato, I say Tomato Salad!

Dutchess County is one of my favorite geographical spots. Aside from the Hudson River Valley's beautiful landscape, another thing makes Dutchess so good is the farmers' stands.  The kindness of farmers and the vegetables are a blessing.  To me August is the perfect month to get loss in Dutchess and pick perfect tomatoes from the farmer stands. 

I can just eat these red jewels with a little salt and pepper, but if I have guest, I like serving a tomato salad either as a starter dish, or a complement to a main dish. This is my favorite tomato salad recipe.

Ingredients for 2 servings

• 1 palmful of crumbled feta cheese

• 1 small basket of ripe grape (or cherry) tomatoes, sliced lengthwise

• 1 ripe heirloom tomato, cored and sliced into wedges

• 1 Table spoon of scallions (or mint, or basil or your favorite tomato-mate herb)

For Dressing

• 1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar

• 1/4 tablesoon of raw local honey

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Mix the dressing ingredients minus oil, and then whisk in the oil till the emulsification takes place (i.e., it looks like a salad dressing).  Mix the salad ingredients and and dressing.  Sometimes I like adding caper to the mix, but I'll leave that to you.  Please enjoy and let me know of any variation you find irresistible